


Wish Your Worries Away

by Lululeigh



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Birthday, Camping, Comfort, Other, Sleepy Cuddles, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-02 02:27:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19190077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lululeigh/pseuds/Lululeigh
Summary: Gunter admits that he works too hard, but he does so to protect those people he cares about. Out of concern for his well being, Leigh steps in to make sure the old soldier can enjoy a peaceful day of relaxation.





	Wish Your Worries Away

Throughout his years, Gunter had become quite aware that many facts of life were unknown, inconsistent, and unpredictable. One element that this old knight hailing from Nohr had learned to never count upon was the weather. It could change in an instant—for better or worse—and as such, he always found himself over preparing in case of emergency. However, during the three years he had spent in Askr, Gunter discovered that rather than harsh uncertainty, June meant stretches of warm sunny days accompanied by long evening sunsets. The chances of a free afternoon coinciding with the beautiful weather were common this time of year and meant that most heroes were spending their time enjoying the sunshine, whether it be at the beach, around the castle, or visiting the marketplace. Due to this, the stables were empty, and he was glad for it. Often when others were around, he felt an immense pressure to engage in courtesy conversation while they all worked; in truth, he would much rather keep to himself and work quietly. Being alone meant that he could either let his mind wander or turn it off almost completely, focusing so intensely on his list of tasks that he didn’t even notice the soft crunching of hay coming from another person’s footsteps.

“Let’s go camping!”

“Hmm?”

Startled out of his thoughts, Gunter looked to the entrance of the stables, surprised to see Leigh. He had assumed Leigh would also be enjoying the gorgeous weather this kingdom had been blessed with. Instead, they walked towards him, holding a picnic basket and a blanket.

“Tomorrow is your birthday, isn’t it? Let’s go camping so that you can take a break for a little while.”

Gunter bit the inside of his cheek as he folded the rag he had been using to clean his horse’s armour and placed it over one shoulder. “Is it going to rain?”

“We both were there when they announced the weather for this week would be beautiful!”

“And the risk of being away from the castle?”

“We can stay on the grounds. I found a great spot to set up a tent that’s not too far away!”

“I would feel… Uneasy. Not being there for training I mean.”

Leigh paused for a moment and thought carefully about their next choice of words. They certainly didn’t want to make him feel _bad_ for not wanting to go camping. However, over the course of the past few weeks, the summoner had noticed that the great knight was rather tense and could definitely use a break from the battlefield.

“I think it would be good for you. To relax I mean. In fact, spending a short amount of time away from the battle will help you focus better when you return!” With a final charming smile, Gunter knew he was defeated.

“Very well. I will leave the plans to you. When will we be departing?”

“Hmm, does tomorrow sometime after lunch sound good?”

“You’ll be up at noon for lunch?” He laughed under his breath, though Leigh just shook their head and poked him in the bicep as they spoke.

“Just you watch! I can be up when it’s important!”

There was a moment of laughter as Leigh pouted playfully at the other, earning a chuckle. While it was a known fact among all the Heroes that their leader was an incredibly late riser, Gunter was also aware that despite their lack of sleep, Leigh _could_ be awake early when it was necessary.

“It's decided then. I’ll bring Sascha around to the West entrance after lunch. Will you need help carrying anything?”

“I should be okay, don’t worry about anything at all. It’ll be your time to relax.”

“So you say...and still the thought of being away from the Castle worries me to no end…” Gunter blew out a long breath and took a seat on one of the wooden crates in the aisle. His mind was racing with a seemingly endless stream of bad scenarios that could occur while they were away, ranging from being ambushed to the little voice echoing in the back of his head to commit some heinous act. Leigh could tell that the worry was weighing on him and set down the picnic basket and blanket on the ground before moving close to run soothing fingers through his hair.

“Hey, nothing bad is going to happen. I promise.”

“Can you?” Gunter craned his neck just the slightest to look up at the other, who leaned down to kiss his forehead.

“Yes. Like I said, you need not worry about anything. I’ve taken care of all the details so that you can enjoy yourself.” They smiled, and in that instance, the old knight felt as though a portion of the huge burden which weighed on his shoulders had been washed away.

The pair talked together for a few more minutes, Leigh informing him of a few other details before departing from the stables. They gave him one last kiss on the forehead and said their goodbyes, picking up their belongings and heading back to the castle. Gunter turned back to his work only to be halted once again as Leigh hollered to him from a distance as if a last-minute thought had crossed their mind.

“Oh, please do me one last favour and keep Felicia out of the kitchen this evening!”

He chuckled and picked up his rag, looking over to the amount of work he still had to do—now with a time limit. Leigh had grown quite aware of how clumsy the younger maid could be in the kitchen and admittedly did not want her poor cooking skills giving them food poisoning on their little trip.

“So long as you make sure that young butler doesn’t sabotage the food either!”

True to their word, Leigh had indeed woken up the next day with enough time to get ready _and_ eat lunch, meeting Gunter at the selected location with all the items they would need for their trip. Flora had helped them tie the camping and picnic supplies to another horse prior to departure, which meant they could leave promptly on time without a hassle. Leigh was not kidding when they said he needn’t worry about any plans, and yet as they rode together on his horse, he couldn’t help but let his concerns trouble his nerves. No armour, and no weapons. What would happen if they were ambushed? Heaving out a sigh, Gunter did his best to clear his mind for the time being. There was no sense worrying about problems that didn't exist yet, and Leigh would certainly be able to tell if he wasn't taking it easy and relaxing.

The first portion of their afternoon was spent pitching their tent, a task which proved more difficult than Leigh had originally imagined. Luckily, Gunter had pitched his fair share in the past, and with the help of his expertise, they completed the task with plenty of time to take a walk through the nearby meadow before supper. Soon after their return from the stroll—their heads now adorned with flower crowns made of daffodils and irises—they laid out the picnic blanket and enjoyed the food Leigh had prepared the prior day with help from Flora. Even though the sun was setting below the horizon as they finished their meal, the temperature was still quite warm. From their position on top of the hill, away from all the lights of the castle, they also had a beautiful view as the stars slowly became visible, with not a single cloud to be found in the sky. Seizing the opportunity, they decided to make themselves cozy by lying down side-by-side in the grass as they gazed up at the star-filled sky that stretched for miles in every direction above them. Leigh pointed to a cluster slightly to their left and drew Gunter’s attention to a small group of stars.

“We call that one the Big Dipper because it looks like a ladle. Then, if you draw a line from the two stars in front this way,” Leigh’s arm moved as their finger traced an imaginary line through the night sky, “You’ll find the North Star.”

“Ah yes. It’s been many years, but I remember using that star to navigate my troops back home after exhausting battles. How interesting it is that Nohr, Askr, and your world all share the same system of stars.”

“I have no idea how it works, but I guess there are certain phenomena we just can’t explain.” Leigh laughed and rested the hand they had been using to point out the stars on their stomach. They were glad that not a cloud could be spotted in the sky, allowing them to relax and gaze up at the stars as they idly chatted the minutes away. Although Gunter had seemed tense when they first headed out on their little excursion—no doubt worrying himself over what problems might occur in the Order of Heroes with their leader being away—Leigh could tell that he was settling into their small vacation away from the others. They couldn’t recall the last time they had seen the old soldier smile so easily, the young summoner often finding themself sneaking in more glances of the knight while he was busy being drawn into the map of twinkling lights above them. The fact that whatever had grown to burden him was no longer at the forefront of this mind brought Leigh a great amount of peace.

“You know quite a bit about the stars, Leigh. Did you study them?”

“Hmm?”

“Back in your world. How did you learn so much about them?”

“Well, I did read a lot of books about space when I was younger. I guess the interest in stargazing probably started with that.”

“Space?” He questioned, turning to the other for clarification.

“It’s what we refer to all this as,” Leigh gestured to the night sky above them with an outstretched hand, “It stretches further than your mind ever could imagine. You wouldn’t believe the sorts of discoveries they’ve made. It sometimes even baffles me.”

“Such as?”

Leigh hummed to themself as they thought of something to say that wouldn’t overwhelm the old man’s mind too much. It was difficult; the concept of other galaxies or sending robots into space sounded too far-fetched to tell a person who came from a world without modern technology.

“Well,” Leigh started and pointed up to the stars in the sky, “Space is so big, and some stars are so far away that it takes a long time for their light to travel to us. So, the way we see these stars presently actually comes from the past.” They turned to look at the other and watched as his face grew puzzled, seeing his eyebrows scrunch together as he tried to make sense of what the other said, though it was without much luck. He never was good at understanding these scientific topics; best to leave them to the young ones. Leigh smiled, patting his hand, trying to bring him some reassurance. No more space explanations for tonight.

As the crickets around them chirped to life, adding a bit of background noise, the pair sat in silence together as they continued to gaze up at the sky. Gunter’s nerves had settled down a fair amount since their departure earlier that day, which allowed him to now relax as Leigh had intended. While they knew it would be pointless to insist that he stop fretting on a day-to-day basis over tiny details—which was just in his nature—they could at least try and get him to take small breaks to help ease his anxious mind. And as though someone had heard their train of thought, the most perfect and marvellous distraction flew across the sky in the blink of an eye.

“Oh wow look! A shooting star!” Leigh pointed up at the sky excitedly, drawing Gunter’s attention to the dark canvas above them. He caught sight of the star just before it could leave his vision. Soon a few more dashed across the sky, Leigh watching in amazement and Gunter admiring their enthusiasm.

“Did you make a wish as one passed by?” He asked.

“Of course!”

“What did you wish for?”

“I can’t say, otherwise it might not come true.”

“And if it does?”

“Well, I suppose I will tell you, but only _if_ it comes true.”

More shooting stars passed by overhead, and the two continued to idly talk. The night wore on as they continued to stargaze, though as it grew later the earth around them seemed to be settling in for the night. Even the chirps of crickets ceased at a certain point, allowing Gunter to finally hear the soft breathing coming from beside him.

“Leigh? Did you fall asleep?”

“Mm… no… Just resting my eyes…”

Gunter chuckled and rose to a sitting position, taking Leigh’s right hand in his left. “That’s pretty near close to sleeping. Come on, let’s head to bed before you pass out here in the grass.”

It didn’t take long once they retreated to the safety of the tent for the night for Leigh to fall completely asleep, exhausted from the preparations the night before as well as the early wake up that morning. Gunter didn’t understand how someone could survive so long on so few hours of sleep when they usually slept in until noon, but he assumed it must have something to do with the liveliness of the young. At this point of the night, he too found himself quite tired, although he lay awake in his sleeping bag, unable to fall asleep. No thought in particular plagued his mind, but rather a bunch of little moments here and there which made him restless. Unlike he had originally thought, no misfortunes had come to harm them during their short reprise from the Order. In fact, during all the time they had spent together today, he had barely had a chance to let his nerves worry him due to all the fun he was having. He believed himself a soldier slated with the task to serve in the army for the rest of his days. Rarely did the thought cross his mind that there could be more to his life than that. _If anyone had shown him that best_ —

The rustling of fabric beside him stirred him from his thoughts, looking down to see that Leigh had partially awoken.

“Mm… Gunter? Did I fall asleep?”

“Only a short while ago. Is something wrong?”

“I forgot to ask,” Leigh yawned and rolled over onto their side so that they could look at him better, “Did you have a good birthday?”

“Most certainly. You always know just what I need.”

“That’s good,” Leigh smiled and curled up in the confines of their sleeping bag once more, “That means my wish came true after all…”

He smiled, turning over onto his side so he could place a kiss on their temple. And then on their cheek. And finally, a good night kiss. Cozied up in his own sleeping bag and reassured by those words the other had murmured in their half-awoken state, he knew that the wish he had made that night had come true as well.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday Gunter! Believe it or not this fic has been in the making since last summer. I love how one version of the Summoner Support in FEH is the two units seeing a shooting star together and from that I knew I just had to incorporate it into a fic!


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